Savannah Guthrie tearfully discussed the ransom letter her family received in February, which reportedly claimed her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, was dead on Tuesday’s “Today” show.
nbc personality cried while telling her co-hosts Even though she has “no comment” on the headlines and is “not involved” in the coverage of her mother’s kidnapping, she cannot “pretend” not to be present for the conversation.
“This is unusual and unprecedented, to say the least,” Guthrie said after reporter Liz Creutz shared the news.
Guthrie continued, “Since I am I just wanted to take the opportunity to really ask people and really urge people to come forward because somebody knows something.”
“It’s a news story today that’s on your radar, but it’s what my sister (Anne Guthrie) lives, that I live, that my brother (Cameron Guthrie) lives, that our extended families live, that our kids live every day,” she explained.
Savannah, 54, and her family members “are in pain,” he said during the emotional segment.
“We cannot live in peace,” the journalist said. “No matter how hard I try to come here every day and smile and find that happiness — and I will, I promise I will — this is a moment to say we need your help. … I’m not going to miss that opportunity.
“No matter how small, the reward is there. You can tell us, it can be anonymous. Please do the right thing,” Savannah, who was surrounded by colleagues Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly and Jenna Bush Hager, concluded.
He promised, “We love our mom, and we will never stop looking for her. Always.”
Melvin, 47, pointed the public to an FBI tip line to give the Guthrie family “a little peace.”
Additionally, he told Savannah, “The bravery and courage with which you have done this every day since this happened has been nothing short of remarkable.”
Savannah took some time off from Studio 1A after she was reported missing from her mother’s Arizona home on February 1 and returned in April while the search is still ongoing.
Sources close to the investigation told Air Mail at the weekend that a ransom note, believed to be credible, described the 84-year-old woman as “safe but scared” just hours after her disappearance – and demanded $6 million in Bitcoin.
This message was reported at the time, in contrast to another message from the same IP address, which indicated a few days later that Nancy had died.
While the outlet claimed Saturday that the note offered to return Nancy’s body in exchange for ransom payment, sources stressed to NBC on Tuesday that the man “made no further requests for money.”
Savannah told Hoda Kotb in March that she “believes” the two notes that she and her siblings “responded to” in emotional social media requests were, in fact, “genuine.”
He criticized “the majority” of ransom notes that were not legitimate, saying, “A person who would send a fake ransom note really needs to take a hard look at himself.”
Authorities have not yet arrested or charged anyone in the kidnapping – but have detained Derrick Calella for allegedly attempting to commit extortion with fake ransom messages. The 42-year-old man is facing federal charges.
Leave a Reply